Announcements

‘Through the Eyes’ of a Fantasy Writer

/ Andrew McDowell / 19 Comments

Here is my latest guest appearance, with the talented poet and blogger B. Sudharsan, in which I discuss being a writer as well as my novel Mystical Greenwood:

‘Through the Eyes’ of a Fantasy Writer

Many thanks to B. for this opportunity!

And for those of you haven’t seen or heard yet, I am going to have some short works appearing in two anthologies from Fae Corps Inc, Fae Dreams and Nightmare Whispers, Volume II, scheduled to be released on Halloween! Another poem will be appearing in another upcoming anthology from Indie Blu(e) Publishing titled As the World Burns. Be sure to keep an eye on my poetry and new short story page for future links!

Also, as today is 9/11, I ask for a moment of remembrance for those who died on this day 19 years ago, and for those who were affected by it.

Updates on Works in Progress

/ Andrew McDowell / 20 Comments

Hopefully by now, most of you have read Mystical Greenwood and are eagerly awaiting the sequel. Well, I thought I’d talk a bit about where I am presently with my current projects. Uh oh, spoiler alert! Hopefully these aren’t big spoilers but teasers. I’ll do my best to refrain from giving too much away. Consider it an early holiday gift.

As I said, there is a sequel to Mystical Greenwood in progress. From the beginning, I’ve wanted the One with Nature series to consist of three books. I know how I want the second to end, but it won’t be the end of the story, so the third book has that purpose already (and I even have a vision of how I’d like it to end). Having focused on forests, I intend to take my characters to another important realm of Nature: the sea (as well as emphasize other bodies of water). So there will be an exploration of and emphasis on aquatic life, and as I hinted before, I’d like to include some more mythical creatures. Taranis will raise the stakes of his fight, and the sequel will include an element Mystical Greenwood lacked: romance.

Anyone who’s seen my works in progress page knows there’s been another story in the works, set in the real world dealing with pets who are neglected and abused. I started it as a class project back at St. Mary’s College. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love animals, and it pains me to think of how many pets—not just dogs—suffer in this world and are deprived of love and comfort. A number of other projects and short works are also in the early stages/idea phase. Things to look forward to in the future!

In addition to these large works, I have short ones too that I’m trying to publish. I’ve had some poetry published this year, and there’s a lot more. I also have two completed short stories. As I’ve said from the beginning, I want to explore various genres and forms of writing. I’ve had a wide variety of interests throughout my life, and perhaps that’s due to my Asperger syndrome. But I definitely want to explore them in writing. I’ll be sure to post updates when they come.

Be sure to check out my Events page for upcoming appearances! Also, registration is open for the 2020 Maryland Writers Conference. Early bird prices go until New Year’s Eve! If you’re interested, go to the MWA website to learn more!

And of course, if you haven’t yet, I hope you’ll read and review Mystical Greenwood! And if you know someone who loves reading fantasy and loves Nature, books make great gifts during the winter holidays! In Iceland, a country with a high reading and publication rate, there is a tradition of exchanging books on Christmas Eve known as Jólabókaflóð, or the Yule Book Flood.

Mystical Greenwood is available in Paperback, Kindle, and Nook:

US$: Amazon  |  B&N  |  BAM!

UK£: Amazon.co.uk  |  Foyles  |  Waterstones

CA$: Amazon.ca

Be sure to add it to your to-read list on Goodreads! The cover art is available at Deviant Art. Don’t forget to subscribe to receive notifications of new blog posts! You can also follow me on social media:

Facebook  |  Twitter  |  YouTube  |  Tumblr  |  Goodreads

Further Reading
  1. De La Mare, Guinevere. Jolabokaflod: Meet Your Favorite New Holiday Tradition.

Thank You

/ Andrew McDowell / 17 Comments

To all those who’ve purchased, read, and reviewed Mystical Greenwood, I want to say thank you. Thank you for your support and encouragement. It was recently announced as a finalist in the Epic/High Fantasy Category of the 2019 American Fiction Awards, sponsored by American Book Fest.

If you haven’t yet, I hope you’ll consider reading my book and posting a review. Every review helps spread the word. I will be very grateful if you do.

Mystical Greenwood RGB

It is available in Paperback, Kindle, and Nook:

US$: Amazon  |  B&N  |  BAM!

UK£: Amazon.co.uk  |  Foyles

CA$: Amazon.ca

Be sure to add it to your Goodreads to-read list! The cover art is also available at Deviant Art. If you’re a fan, you can show it through your memorabilia!

Be sure to check out my publications in poetry and creative nonfiction as well!

Don’t forget to subscribe to receive notifications of new blog posts! You can also follow me on social media:

Facebook  |  Twitter  |  YouTube  |  Tumblr  |  Goodreads

Kindle Users, It’s Finally Here!

/ Andrew McDowell / 4 Comments

Mystical Greenwood RGBThat’s right! Mystical Greenwood is now available in Kindle from Mockingbird Lane Press on Amazon AND Amazon.co.uk!

As a friendly reminder, you can reserve the paperback through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. If you’re in Britain, it’s also available through Amazon.co.uk and Foyles Bookstore. Additional outlets can be found for both versions via Goodreads.

You can also try ordering directly at your local bookstore. That can help get it on shelves for other readers to find. If you belong to a book club, I hope you’ll recommend it to your fellow members! Your reviews will help me and this book immensely. Spread the word!

And don’t forget, if you become a fan you can order merchandise with the cover art at Deviant Art!

Order Mystical Greenwood Now!

/ Andrew McDowell / 12 Comments

Mystical Greenwood RGBYes! I’m very happy to announce that the paperback version of Mystical Greenwood is now available on Amazon!

Mockingbird Lane Press will also soon be offering an e-book version (which can be downloaded to Kindle and Nook)! It should be available in a couple weeks.

Mystical Greenwood will also soon be offered on Barnes & Noble.

I hope you enjoy it! Please read, review (be honest), and help spread the word!

The cover art is also available on Deviant Art! If you’re a fan, you can now buy merchandise!

Status of Mystical Greenwood

/ Andrew McDowell / 13 Comments

I’m sure many of you are eager to hear the status on Mystical Greenwood. So as a little treat on this Christmas Day I thought I’d share some updates.

To begin with, if you haven’t yet be sure to watch the book trailer!

Many thanks to Jamie Johnson of Mockingbird Lane Press for an excellent job, and also to songwriter Lee Chapman for the wonderful musical score. Some of you already know this, but Mystical Greenwood includes within its story the lyrics I wrote for two songs. Lee has composed music for both of them. The music in the trailer is for one of those songs.

I’ve gotten through the hard proof round of editing. It sure was a thrill to hold my book in my hands. I do not have an official release date yet, but it looks like Mystical Greenwood may be ready sometime in the coming months! I’ll make an announcement when it’s available. The cover art should follow on Deviant Art soon after the book’s publication.

As you saw from the trailer, when it’s officially released, it will be listed on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. It will be available in both paperback and e-book (downloadable to Kindle and Nook). Be sure to check the Events page for future events. I definitely want to organize a launch party once the book is released.

I’m looking forward to the new year! Once again, I’m thinking of resolutions. Those pertaining to writing include completing at least one draft of a new book (specifically those two that are in progress), and of course making Mystical Greenwood a success. You can help me there by reading it, reviewing it, and spreading the word.

Happy Holidays!

Cover Art: Mystical Greenwood

/ Andrew McDowell / 6 Comments

I’m very happy to reveal the cover art for Mystical Greenwood! Many thanks to Jamie Johnson of Mockingbird Lane Press for her excellent design!

I’m also delighted to announce it will be available before long on Deviant Art, where items can then be purchased with the cover art on them!

Mystical Greenwood RGB

Jan. ’17 edition of Pen in Hand

/ Andrew McDowell / 3 Comments

This month’s upcoming edition of the MWA‘s online literary magazine Pen in Hand will include two haiku poems I wrote.

It should be available in a few weeks. I’ll post a link to my Poetry page. I hope you’ll like my poems and the other works that will appear in the issue!

P.S. I’m also now on Twitter and Tumblr!

A Contract has been Signed!

/ Andrew McDowell / 27 Comments

Yes! I’m happy to announce that I’ve signed a contract with Mockingbird Lane Press to publish my fantasy novel.

I’m very grateful to all my family and friends for believing in me. I wouldn’t have gotten this far without your support.

Now it’s only a matter of time. Updates will be posted to this blog. Be sure to visit my Facebook page and YouTube channel if you haven’t yet!

Inscribed

/ Andrew McDowell / 5 Comments

An author’s inscription makes your copy of their work unique to you. If you’re a writer yourself, you remember the story behind the inscription, and the connection made with your fellow writer.

Here are seven inscribed books I own:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

A Thousand Acres was inscribed during a weekend event for prospective students specifically interested in creative writing at Washington College, where Jane Smiley was the guest speaker. The Good Thief was inscribed at the very last VOICES author reading I attended at St. Mary’s College. I also received from Hannah Tinti during the subsequent Q&A a pendant of St. Anthony, the patron saint of lost things (which you can see in the slideshow’s fourth picture above), who features in the novel along with a “wishing stone” – a stone with a natural, unbroken ring of another color (another student before me received one).

Reboot! and Beyond Blue were both inscribed during different meetings of the Annapolis chapter of the MWA, where Phil Burgess and Austin S. Camacho were the respective guest speakers. The Last Government Girl was inscribed at the Baltimore Book Festival in September 2015. As I had won second place in the MWA Contest’s creative nonfiction category, Ellen Herbert won in the novel category. I purchased Up the Hill to Home at Barnes & Noble in Bowie. When I opened it, to my surprise it already bore Jennifer Bort Yacovissi‘s inscription! Sally Whitney‘s Surface and Shadow was inscribed during the book’s launch party at the Annapolis bookstore.

In addition to these books, I have an inscribed short story, Gasoline, written by Jennifer Cognard-Black under the pseudonym J. Annie MacLeod. It was given to me as a gift at the end of my first semester at St. Mary’s:

Finally, I have two promotional cards won in a drawing at another meeting of the Annapolis chapter of the MWA, where James L. Gossard talked about his graphic novel Mobtown. They bear his inscription along with those of his collaborators, Gabe Fremuth and Anthony Ness:

I remember inscribing the anthology which included my essay during the previously mentioned Baltimore Book Festival. Someday soon with future novels hopefully I will do for others as these authors did for me.